System and methods providing sports event related media to internet-enabled devices synchronized with a live broadcast of the sports event

ABSTRACT

An electronic device can be synchronized with a broadcast of a live sporting event to obtain supplemental sports data over a data network from a server storing data associated with the live sporting event. Supplemental sports data is obtained from the server for display on the electronic device following a triggering activity associated with the broadcast of the live sporting event. Supplemental sports data can be transmitted for rendering on a display associated with the electronic device. Supplemental sports data can include display of an instant replay video of a sports athlete combined with audio of a pre-recorded statement by the sports athlete associated with the instant replay video, an announcement of a score change for a sporting event monitored by the electronic device, and a display of a football widget providing updates on football game status (possession, ball location, current score) monitored by the electronic device.

INVENTION PRIORITY

The present invention claims priority as a continuation-in-part patentapplication to U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No.12/407,916 filed Mar. 20, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 8,244,105 and entitled“Talking Replay”, which is a continuation of provisional patentapplication Ser. No. 61/038,127, filed Mar. 20, 2008, which are bothincorporated by reference herein for their teachings. The presentinvention is also a continuation-in-part patent application ofprovisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 61/499,623, filed Jun. 21,2011, entitled “Method, system and processor-readable media forautomatically vocalizing user pre-selected sporting event scores”, whichis incorporated by reference herein for its teaching. The presentinvention is related to U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No.11/799,874 filed May 3, 2007, entitled “Instant football widget”, nowU.S. Pat. No. 7,596,759, which is incorporated by reference herein forits teaching.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is generally related to the transmission of sportevent related media, including video and audio data, over datacommunication networks for rendering on electronic devices. Moreparticularly, the present invention is related to a method of selectingand linking audio comments of a sports athlete recorded prior to theathlete performing in a live sporting event to a video recorded ofaction performed by the sports athlete during the live sporting event,wherein the audio comments specifically relate to the video of actionperformed by the sports athlete, and transmitting the combination ofaudio and video of the sports athlete within a live telecast and/or overa data network to electronic devices used by observers of a livebroadcast of the sporting event, wherein the combination of audio andvideo of the sports athlete is a talking replay.

BACKGROUND

Instant Replay was invented by Tony Verna in 1963 and first used in afootball game between the U.S. Military Academy and the Naval Academy.Tony Verna is also an inventor of the present invention. The purpose ofinstant replays is to review action that has taken place in a live eventimmediately after the action occurs. Throughout the decades since it wasfirst introduced, the Instant Replay has been in continual use as a formof video review, from the announcer's point of view, during a sportingevent. Through the years, the Instant Replay has visually evolved butthe nature of commenting over instant replays has fundamentally remainedunchanged. The Instant Replay has also been used in the broadcast ofentertainment events other than sports.

In sports competition such as football, basketball, and most othersports, every player is involved in every play in some manner, so thatit becomes interesting to isolate a player's thinking before the actualgame takes place. Players have to be constantly thinking in order toexecute the hundreds of variations of their offensive and defensiveschemes. It would be of great interest to the fans to experience thegame from the player's point of view. It would allow a player to conveyhis or her unique viewpoint, so that the fans can personally identifywith him/her. The Talking Replay specifically taps into the player'sinsights, which heretofore have remained silent during a broadcast. Nowa player will be able to provide a pre-recorded audio comment over arecorded video replay of a related action that took place after thepre-recorded audio comment during a live event.

Talking Replay is about an approach and method/system that has beenimplemented previously. Currently, no television procedure or softwareapplication exists whereby the production team of a live broadcast caninterject a sports athlete's comments into an instant replay of actionby the sports athlete recorded from a live broadcast of a sporting eventoccurring after recording of the sport athlete's comments. There are noprior procedures in sports broadcasting whereby the pre-recorded audiorecorded of an athlete is linked to a related video recording (InstantReplay) of the athlete from a broadcast of a sporting event being airedafter the pre-recorded audio is obtained from a sports athlete, so thatthe sports athlete's personal comments can enlighten, or perhaps evencorrect, the game's storyline that is currently being presented by theannouncing team's third-person approach.

Tony Verna has also invented the Instant Football Widget described inU.S. Pat. No. 7,596,759, and Spoken Scores, described in provisionalpatent application Ser. No. 61/499,623. The Instant Football Widgetallows scores, football direction of play, and real time spotting of thefootball location to be shown in a small footprint summary in the formof a simple graphic on a display screen, and includes the capability forexpansion with addition real-time game information. Spoken Scores istechnology that allows various games of interest to a user to bemonitored by a service and then push as a text message to a handhelddevice where it can be converted into a spoken score for announcementover the device. Both of these innovations by Tony Verna can beincorporated as features into the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention can tap into the player's insights, whichheretofore have remained silent during a live broadcast. A talkingreplay provides a method of optimizing the recorded voice of the sportsathlete so that fans can hear what the athlete may have been thinking asfans take another look at what has just happened after the recordedvoice is obtained from the sports athlete, thus providing a new form ofcommunication for traditional sports broadcasts and can generate trafficthrough broadcaster partnerships with worldwide affiliates, websites,and with the possibility of amassing thousands of viral views on socialmedia.

It is a feature of the present invention to provide a method fortransmitting at least one pre-recorded audio stream together with avideo instant replay of a live event to a data communicationsnetwork-enabled device such as a second screen during broadcasting ofthe live event for viewing on a primary screen, which can also becommunicated either synchronously or asynchronously. An example of thisimplementation is where the voice of a football player (e.g.,quarterback, linebacker) can be acquired and stored for future retrievalwith video of the same football player that can be selected for instantreplay, and can be selected because of its correlation of observableaction to what has been pre-recorded on audio. Audio and video of thesame football player are combined and available from a server to bereceived and can be replayed by a team fan as what can be referred to asa “Talking Replay” on the fan's notebook computer while a live broadcastof the football game is simultaneously being viewed on the fan's large,flat-panel display. Although provided during the broadcast,synchronization with the broadcast is not necessarily required.Furthermore, a Talking Replay can be provided within atelecast/broadcast to televisions (e.g., HDTV flat panels) over cable,satellite, and radio frequency transmissions.

It is another feature of the present invention to provide a method forrecording, prior to the live sporting event, the comments of individualswho will be participating in the live event, storing the recorded audiostream comments in a server, accessing the audio stream from the serverduring the live event, combining or linking the audio stream with avideo instant replay of a portion of the live event, and transmitting acombined module of prerecorded audio stream and video instant replay todata communication network-enabled devices (e.g., second screens such assmartphones or tablets, or large, stationary flat panel displays).Transmission of the combined data can be synchronized with a livebroadcast of the live sporting event or non-synchronized and can bepushed to the receiving electronic devices. Delivery of the media isduring the live broadcast/telecast of the live event.

It can also be a feature of the present invention to provide a methodfor obtaining score data and providing it to data communicationnetwork-enabled devices for announcement.

It can also be yet another feature of the present invention to providean instant football widget that provides field location and directionfor a football on a playing field in a condensed expandable format(e.g., MPEG) for display on data communication network-enabled devices.

It is another feature to store all data in cloud storage for ease ofuser authentication, security of data, and streamlined, simultaneousaccess by numerous authorized users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures further illustrate the present invention and,together with the detailed description of the invention, serve toexplain the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic view of a system that includes acustomized live tile application module, an operating system, and a userinterface, in accordance with features of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block network diagram of components that can beused to implement and carry out the features of the present invention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a handheld device that can be used to carry outfeatures of the present invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for carrying out featuresof the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for carrying out featuresof the present invention;

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for carrying out featuresof the present invention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for carrying out featuresof the present invention; and

FIG. 8 illustrates a flow diagram of a method for carrying out featuresof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The particular values and configurations discussed in these non-limitingexamples can be varied and are cited merely to illustrate at least oneembodiment and are not intended to limit the scope thereof.

The embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which illustrativeembodiments of the invention are shown. The embodiments disclosed hereincan be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed aslimited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, theterm “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of theassociated listed items.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. Asused herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended toinclude the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicatesotherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises”and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify thepresence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements,and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of oneor more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art andwill not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unlessexpressly so defined herein.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present inventioncan be embodied as a method, data processing system, or computer programproduct. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of anentire hardware embodiment, an entire software embodiment or anembodiment combining software and hardware aspects all generallyreferred to herein as a “circuit” or “module.” Furthermore, the presentinvention may take the form of a computer program product on acomputer-usable storage medium having computer-usable program codeembodied in the medium. Any suitable computer readable medium may beutilized including hard disks, USB Rash Drives, DVDs, CD-ROMs, opticalstorage devices, magnetic storage devices, etc.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in an object oriented programming language(e.g., Java, C++, etc.). The computer program code, however, forcarrying out operations of the present invention may also be written inconventional procedural programming languages such as the “C”programming language or in a visually oriented programming environmentsuch as, for example, Visual Basic, or whatever programming language inuse to develop data network accessible multimedia for rendering onelectronic devices in the future.

The invention is described in part below with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, systems, and computerprogram products and data structures according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the illustrations,and combinations of blocks, can be implemented by computer programinstructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general-purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the block or blocks.

Although not required, the disclosed embodiments will be described inthe general context of computer-executable instructions such as programmodules being executed by a single computer. In most instances, a“module” constitutes a software application. Generally, program modulesinclude, but are not limited to, routines, subroutines, softwareapplications, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., thatperform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types andinstructions. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate thatthe disclosed method and system may be practiced with other computersystem configurations such as, for example, hand-held devices,multi-processor systems, data networks, microprocessor-based orprogrammable consumer electronics, networked PCs, minicomputers,mainframe computers, servers, and the like.

Note that the term module as utilized herein may refer to a collectionof routines and data structures that perform a particular task orimplements a particular abstract data type. Modules may be composed oftwo parts: an interface, which lists the constants, data types,variable, and routines that can be accessed by other modules orroutines, and an implementation, which is typically private (accessibleonly to that module) and which includes source code that actuallyimplements the routines in the module. The term module may also simplyrefer to an application such as a computer program designed to assist inthe performance of a specific task such as word processing, accounting,inventory management, etc.

Through the years, the Instant Replay has benefited from an array oftechnical breakthroughs such as super slow motion, multiple isolationsand the electronic first down line, and even the use of a thirddimension. While all of these advancements have helped the InstantReplay to clarify itself visually, none of these advancements haveprovided the needed “sensory element” that the Talking Replay brings orthat of adding the athlete's voice to his or her immediate playback.

With the use of the Talking Replay, the home audience no longer has tobe solely dependent on the announcer's perception. In fact, a recentresearch study, funded by the Amateur Athletic Foundation of LosAngeles, reported that the phrases announcers use to describe anathlete's inner emotional state are purely speculative, since theirthird person observation has been taken solely from the athlete'sappearance, for instance, “she's a nervous wreck”, “quietly confident”,“she's completely focused”, “feeling proud”, “he has fantasticconcentration”.

The Talking Replay deals with that present moment. As ScientificAmerican Magazine points out in an article, “We are pattern-seeking,storytelling primates trying to make sense of what is currentlyhappening around us . . . and wanting to know what others are feeling atthe present moment.” The Talking Replay does that.

By providing the athlete's narrative concentration, the Talking Replay,in effect, provides a logical connection, similar to the mental voiceexperienced when reading a novel. In literature, the use of innermonologues is common and often used to signify the real truth sincecharacters are given the opportunity to stand alone and portray theirinner self, their thoughts, and expectations.

The operational method of incorporating Talking Replays into a liveevent allows it to be implemented in live events of all kinds such asconcerts, theater, sportscasts of football, and sportscasts other thanfootball such as auto racing, baseball, basketball, billiards, bowling,cricket, golf, horse racing, ice hockey, ice skating, car racing,motocross, rodeo, rugby, skate boarding, skiing, soccer, swimming anddiving, track and field, volleyball, and Canadian Football.

Reference to “sports athlete” herein is meant to be inclusive ofperformers in the art to the extent instant replay with artistcommentary can be utilized. Furthermore, audio recordings can bemultilingual and translated into another language for rendering assubtitles on any display whereon Talking Replays are also shown.

In addition, the Talking Replay provides a business opportunity foradditional income to the network, the team, the league or other entitytelevising the game, by selling advertising for its use such as “ThisTalking Replay is brought to you by XYZ Company” (currently referred toas in-game commercials). Also, the Talking Replays can be made availableon the Internet, on specific web sites, with associated advertising.

The Instant Replay has visually evolved through the years, but thenature of commenting over the Instant Replays has remained fundamentallyunchanged. The prerecorded athlete's comments (recorded prior to a liveevent) replayed over their actions at a live event and shown on aninstant replay will not only can be expressed in different dialects andwith different intonations, but their inner reflections can be deliveredas something special to their fans, hungry for something new that can'tbe found on their sports pages.

Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram is illustrated depicting modules,which can then be used to carry out features of the present invention. Auser 101 has access to a network enabled video display device 150 (alsoreferred to as “electronic device”) that includes a user interface 153,a microprocessor 157, a display 156, and software applications 154.Software applications are used by the microprocessor for carrying outfeatures of the invention including a software module 152 for renderingsports-related data on the display 156. A synchronization module 151 canbe provided to synchronize the electronic device 150 with a livebroadcast of a sporting event. Synchronization as used throughout thisdescription means that close synchronization of time between a contentin a broadcast and supplemental data provided to electronic devices canbe obtained where electronic devices use: short range wireless datacommunications means (e.g., Bluetooth, 802.xx, RFID, IR) between ahandheld device (2^(nd) screen) and a flat panel television (1stscreen); audio tags embedded in audio projected from the 1st screen andrecognized by the 2^(nd) screen; or via communication with a remoteserver by the handheld device (or 2^(nd) screen) over a wired orwireless data network.

Synchronization and the synchronization module are not required featuresof the present invention. Although synchronization is not a requiredfeature of the present invention, synchronization, if incorporated inthe system and methods, can be achieved between a remote serverproviding data or with a local computing device receiving a livebroadcast (e.g., flat panel television set). Unsynchronized datatransfer does not require that a synchronization signal such as tags(e.g., voice tags) be used to synchronize broadcasted content on a largescreen with content obtained from a remote server for display on asecond screen such as a handheld device. Therefore, it can beappreciated that data can be pushed or pulled from the server and can bebased on synchronization or not based on synchronization withbroadcasted content. What is important is that the second screeninformation, such as talking replays, occurs during the broadcastedevent, and ideally a short time after the event being replayed with thecontent bearing the voice of the athlete.

The electronic device can be provided in the form of a high definitionflat panel display (e.g., flat panel TV), a tablet computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, and a smartphone or compatible handhelddevice. In some instances, as will be explained in more detail below,two screens can be used. A first screen (e.g., flat panel television)can be used to display a live broadcast, while a second screen (e.g.,tablet or handheld computer) can be used to display supplementalsports-related data from a server. As mentioned above, the two screenscan be synchronized via the synchronization module 151. Whensynchronized, a triggering event in the live broadcast can causesupplemental sports data including talking replays, score information astext or spoken scores or football widget information depicting thelocation, and direction of a football on a football field to bedisplayed on the electronic device 150 after the triggering activity. Atriggering activity can be as simple as a determination by a mediadirector that a particular event that occurred during a live eventwarrants the production and distribution of supplemental sports dataassociated with the event, or a triggering activity can be an electronicqueue (e.g., audio tag) in a broadcast that causes the electronic deviceto retrieve supplemental information from a remote server and displayit.

Referring to FIG. 2, a more detailed block diagram of networked systems200 that can be used to carry out the invention are depicted. At leastone database 205 and at least one server 210 in control of mediaproviders (e.g., broadcasters, media owners, directors) can be used tostore and manage the flow of sports-related data. A database can be usedto store sports event data 215, location-based services 220 and relatedinformation, pre-recorded sports athlete voice files 240, and recordedinstant replay video of sports athletes 225. A data network 245 supportscommunication between the at least one server 210 and remote electronicdevices 265/230/250.

An electronic device in the form of an Internet enabled flat paneldisplay 230 can be provided as a familiar high definition flat paneldisplay system currently being referred to as “smart TVs” and ranging insizes up to 70 inches diagonally. An Internet enabled flat panel display230 has data network 245 access and can run software programs inaddition to receiving broadcast signals from cable feeds, satellitefeeds, and set-top boxes. If synchronization is desired, an Internetenabled flat panel display 230 can include a synchronization module 233and sports data module 235 to carry out features described above withrespect to FIG. 1. Transmission of sports event data 215 can be providedthrough the data network 245 to the Internet enabled flat panel display230 for processing by the sports data module 235 with/or withoutcooperation of the synchronization module 233 (which is optional).

An electronic device in the format of a handheld device 250 can beprovided in the form of a familiar “smartphone” or PDA platform (e.g.,iPhone, Android devices) as well as tablets and laptop computers. Thehandheld device 250 can include a memory 255 for storing operatingsystem 260 and software application modules 152. A display/UI 295 istypically combined in this platform with a touch-sensitive screen (notshown). Sports data in the form of talking replays 206, a footballwidget 207, and location-based services 208 can be displayed on thedisplay/UI 295. A processor 275 manages and controls operation of thecomponents in the handheld device 250. A synchronization module 285 canbe optionally provided as discussed above and enables synchronization ofthe handheld device with at least one of the server 210 or a firstscreen such as Internet enabled flat panel display 230. A wirelessinterface 280 is typically in use to support network communication insuch handheld platforms.

A desktop computer 265 can also be utilized as the electronic deviceused to receive sports data such as talking alerts, football widgets,and spoken scores. A user would typically use a desktop computer in anoffice environment to access sports data.

Referring to FIG. 3, the electronic device in the form of handhelddevice 250 is illustrated. The display 295 is shown displaying video 206associated with a talking replay, a football widget 207, andlocation-based services 208. Additional sports-related media 301 can bedisplayed on the handheld device 250. Examples of media can include livevideo from a sports broadcast, statistical information, teaminformation, memorabilia purchasing information, etc. With respect tothe football widget 207, it does not always have to be displayed whensports-related features are operating on the handheld device. The sportswidget can fade away within a few second of showing a change of events(e.g., changes in score, ball location, ball direction) during amonitored football game. For example, whenever there is a change inevents, the widget can appear near the bottom or top of the display 295as a layer over existing programming on the display for up to tenseconds, then fade away and enable programming on the display tocontinue without ongoing visual interference for the human user. It canbe appreciated that the football widget operation as described can alsooperate as described on a larger device such as the internet-enabledflat panel display. This would be an ideal feature when programmingother than a football game (e.g., news, movies, shows) is being viewedon the display screen, but the user of the electronic device would stilllike to monitor progress in a football game of interest. The revealingand fading widget can be shown at the bottom of the screen for a fewseconds to reveal status changes.

With respect to the following discussion regarding FIGS. 4-6, referenceto the term “Synchronize” or “synchronized” should be interpreted tobroadly mean that an electronic device is operational to receivesupplemental data during the same time period of a broadcasted event and“triggering activity” can be broadly interpreted as an activityoccurring during the broadcasted event that warrants replaying. The term“Synchronize” or “synchronized” should also be interpreted to opticallymean that an electronic device is operational to receive supplementaldata during the same time period of a broadcasted event based on“triggering activity” detected from the broadcast (e.g., audio tags)that automatically causes content to be pushed to an electronic device.

Referring to FIG. 4, a flow diagram of a method for carrying outfeatures of the present invention is illustrated. As shown in block 410,an electronic device can be synchronized with a broadcast of a livesporting event to obtain supplemental sports data over a data networkfrom a server storing data associated with the live sporting event.Supplemental data can be obtained from the server for display on theelectronic device based on a triggering activity associated withbroadcasted sporting event content as shown in block 420. Supplementalsports data is rendered on a display associated with the electronicdevice, as shown in block 430. As shown in block 440, supplementalsports data includes at least one of: a display of instant replay videoof an athlete together with announcement of pre-recorded statement bythe athlete that is associated with the instant replay video; anannouncement of a score change for a sporting event monitored by theelectronic device; and a display of a football widget providing updateson game standing, ball location on playing field, and current score fora ball game being monitored by a user of the electronic device.

Referring to the flow diagram 500 of FIG. 5, a handheld device issynchronized with at least one of a remote server and flat panel displayrendering a broadcast of a live sporting event to obtain supplementalsports data from the remote server storing data that is associated withthe live sporting event, as shown in block 510. Then, as shown in block520, supplemental data can be obtained from the remote server fordisplay on electronic devices based on triggering activity inbroadcasted sporting event content. As shown in block 530, supplementalsports data is rendered on the handheld device. As shown in block 540,supplemental sports data is defined to include supplemental sports dataincluding at least one of: display of instant replay video of an athletetogether with an announcement of a pre-recorded statement by the athletethat is associated with the instant replay video; an announcement of ascore change for a sporting event monitored by the handheld device; anda display of a football widget providing updates on game standing, balllocation on playing field, and current score of a ball game beingmonitored by a user of the handheld device.

Referring to FIG. 6, a flow diagram 600 of a method for synchronizationof a second screen with broadcast on a first screen is illustrated.Referring to block 610, a handheld device (2^(nd) screen) issynchronized with broadcasted live sporting event rendering on a flatpanel display (1st screen) to obtain supplemental sports data from aremote server storing data associated with the live sporting event. Inblock 620, supplemental data is obtained from the remote server fordisplay on the handheld device based on triggering activity in thebroadcasted sporting event. Then as shown in block 630, supplementalsports data is rendered on the handheld device. Block 640 shows thatsupplemental sports data can include at least one of: instant replayvideo of an athlete together with an announcement of a pre-recordedstatement by the athlete that is associated with the instant replayvideo; an announcement of a score change for a sporting event monitoredby the handheld device; and a display of a football widget providingupdates on game score standing, ball location on playing field, andcurrent score for a ball game being monitored by a user of the handhelddevice.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flow diagram 700, in accordance with features ofthe present invention. As shown in block 710, voiced statements from anathlete are recorded prior to a live sporting event and are stored asaudio in an audio database. Referring to block 720, video of the livesporting event is recorded with at least one camera located at a sportsvenue and is stored in a video database. Then as shown in block 730, avideo clip of the athlete is selected from the video stored in the videodatabase and is combined with a voiced statement from the athlete tocreate a talking replay of the athlete. Referring to block 740, thetalking replay is stored in a media server. Then, as shown in block 750,the talking replay is transmitted from the media server together over adata communications network to at least one electronic device forrendering as audio and video.

Referring to FIG. 8, voiced statements are recorded from an athleteprior to a live sporting event and are stored as audio in an audiodatabase as shown in block 810. As shown in block 820, video of the livesporting event is recorded with at least one camera located at a sportsvenue and the video is stored in a video database. As shown in block830, a video clip of the athlete from the video stored in the videodatabase is selected and then combined with a voiced statement from theathlete to create a talking replay of the athlete. Referring to block840, the talking replay is stored in a media server. Then, as shown inblock 850, the talking replay is transmitted from the media servertogether with advertising over a data communications network to at leastone electronic device for rendering as a talking replay in audio andvideo.

It should be appreciated that Talking Replay, Football Widget, and ScoreSounder can be implemented as software applications, downloadable from athird party application provider (e.g., Apple®, Android®) into a smartphone or tablet. Registration with a content provider, such as mediabroadcasters (e.g., FOX Sports Network, HBO, CBS Sports, ESPN, etc.) ormajor league sports organizations (e.g., MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, etc.) bythe application user can be required in order to obtain content such asTalking Replay.

Revenue for application providers, content owners/providers can beobtained by application sales on a subscription basis, and/or viaadvertising revenue. Advertising can be provided before an applicationcontent is rendered or during rendering on part of a display screen(e.g., banner ad).

Data can be automatically received from a server as it becomes available(push), or a handheld device user can request the content (pull). Voicedmedia can be provided in various languages and can be translated intoanother language or as a subtitle using a combination of speech-to-textand translation technology. For example, in the case where the sportprogramming is from Europe or Mexico, it can be translated into Englishas a digitized (generic) voice or as a subtitle prior to transmission tothe user. A user profile during registration can establish what languagethe audio should be received in (or translated into) by the server priorto transmission to the user.

Social networks can be used to support use and enjoyment of theapplications described herein. For example, once a producer is satisfiedwith an athlete's pre-recorded reading, a copy can be mass texted orposted to alert subscribers (and potential subscribers) of second screenmedia of the potential comment that may be combined with an instantreplay. Thus, another dynamic that has never existed before can comeinto play in the present invention that enables fan pre-awareness anddevelops expectations for what can be expected by dedicated followers ofan athlete or accepting users of Talking Replay as an application. Postgame availability of Talking Replays can also be made available throughsocial networks and can be archived for future enjoyment by fans.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method for transmitting a talking replayto an electronic device, comprising: recording audio streams of commentsfor individuals who will be participating in a live event; storing theaudio streams of comments in a server; accessing an audio stream duringthe live event of comments for an individual from the audio stream ofcomments stored in the server; combining the audio stream of commentswith a video instant replay of the individual recorded as a portion ofthe live event; and transmitting a combination of the audio stream ofcomments with the video instant replay to at least one datacommunications network-enabled device.
 2. The method for transmitting atalking replay to an electronic device of claim 1, wherein the talkingreplay is transmitted to one or more of a television or a handheldwireless communication device.
 3. The method for transmitting a talkingreplay to an electronic device of claim 1, wherein the audio streamcomment is made by an athlete featured on the instant replay.
 4. Themethod for transmitting a talking replay to an electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the supplemental sports data includes at least one of:an announcement of a score change for a sporting event monitored by theelectronic device; and a display of a football widget providing updateson ball possession, ball location on a playing field, and current scorefor a ball game being monitored by the electronic device.
 5. The methodfor transmitting a talking replay to an electronic device of claim 4,wherein the talking replay is transmitted to one or more of a televisionor a handheld wireless communication device.
 6. The method fortransmitting a talking replay to an electronic device of claim 4,wherein the audio stream comment is made by an athlete featured on theinstant replay.
 7. The method for transmitting a talking replay to anelectronic device of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:synchronizing an electronic device with a broadcast of a live sportingevent to obtain supplemental sports data over a data network from aserver storing data associated with the live sporting event; obtainingsupplemental sports data from the server for display on the electronicdevice following a triggering activity associated with the broadcast ofthe live sporting event; and transmitting the supplemental sports dataover a data network for rendering on a display associated with theelectronic device.
 8. The method for transmitting a talking replay to anelectronic device of claim 7, wherein the supplemental sports data is atalking replay that is transmitted to one or more of a television or ahandheld wireless communication device.
 9. The method for transmitting atalking replay to an electronic device of claim 7, wherein thesupplemental sports data includes at least one of: an announcement of ascore change for a sporting event monitored by the electronic device;and a display of a football widget providing updates on ball possession,ball location on a playing field, and current score for a ball gamebeing monitored by the electronic device.
 10. The method fortransmitting a talking replay to an electronic device of claim 9,wherein the talking replay is transmitted to one or more of a televisionor a handheld wireless communication device.
 11. The method fortransmitting a talking replay to an electronic device of claim 9,wherein the audio stream comment is made by an athlete featured on theinstant replay.
 12. The method for transmitting sport event data to anelectronic device of claim 10, wherein the supplemental sports dataincludes at least one of: a display of instant replay video of a sportsathlete combined with audio of a pre-recorded statement by the sportsathlete associated with the instant replay video; an announcement of ascore change for a sporting event monitored by the electronic device;and a display of a football widget providing updates on ball possession,ball location on a playing field, and current score for a ball gamebeing monitored by the electronic device.
 13. A method for transmittingsport event data to an electronic device, comprising: synchronizing anelectronic device with a broadcast of a live sporting event to obtainsupplemental sports data over a data network from a server storing dataassociated with the live sporting event; obtaining supplemental sportsdata from the server for display on the electronic device following atriggering activity associated with the broadcast of the live sportingevent; and transmitting the supplemental sports data over a data networkfor rendering on a display associated with the electronic device. 14.The method for transmitting sport event data to an electronic device ofclaim 13, wherein the supplemental sports data includes at least one of:a display of instant replay video of a sports athlete combined withaudio of a pre-recorded statement by the sports athlete associated withthe instant replay video; an announcement of a score change for asporting event monitored by the electronic device; and a display of afootball widget providing updates on ball possession, ball location on aplaying field, and current score for a ball game being monitored by theelectronic device.
 15. A system for providing sport event data toelectronic devices, comprising: a server registering subscribers tosports event data wherein a subscription to sports event data enableselectronic devices used by authorized subscribers to obtain supplementalsports data over a data network from a server storing data associatedwith the live sporting event when the authorized subscribers electronicdevice is in use during a broadcast of a live sporting event; and a datacommunication network connected to said server; wherein said serverprovides supplemental sports data over said data communications networkto said electronic devices used by authorized subscribers for renderingas video and audio following a triggering activity associated with thebroadcast of the live sporting event.
 16. The system for providing sportevent data to electronic devices of claim 15, wherein the supplementalsports data includes at least one of: instant replay video of a sportsathlete combined with audio of a pre-recorded statement by the sportsathlete associated with the instant replay video; an announcement of ascore change for a sporting event monitored by the electronic device;and a display of a football widget providing updates on ball possession,ball location on a playing field, and current score for a ball gamebeing monitored by the electronic device.
 17. The system for providingsport event data to electronic devices of claim 15, including the stepof rendering supplemental sports data on a display associated with theelectronic device.
 18. The system for providing sport event data toelectronic devices of claim 17, wherein the supplemental sports dataincludes at least one of: instant replay video of a sports athletecombined with audio of a pre-recorded statement by the sports athleteassociated with the instant replay video; an announcement of a scorechange for a sporting event monitored by the electronic device; and adisplay of a football widget providing updates on ball possession, balllocation on a playing field, and current score for a ball game beingmonitored by the electronic device.
 19. The system for providing sportevent data to electronic devices of claim 16, including the step ofrendering supplemental sports data on a display associated with theelectronic device.